The next day, a disciplinary hearing for Joaquin Hilavan was held.
The charges were proxy assassination and illegal group activity.
Alongside me, there were two professors from the White Saber faction, two from the Black Abyss faction, and two neutral professors. Also present was the supervising professor of Moonshadow Institute.
A total of eight professors convened to deliberate on Joaquin’s punishment.
“How does Professor Dante view this matter?”
“He should be expelled.”
There was nothing more to see. Expulsion was the only option. The kid was insufferable.
But unfortunately, the supervising professor of Moonshadow Institute was from the Black Abyss faction.
“He’s still a young cadet. And his grades are excellent. Why not give him one more chance? The aggression nurtured in assassins can be gradually controlled through such incidents.”
The two White Saber professors and I advocated for expulsion.
The two Black Abyss professors and the Moonshadow supervisor argued for leniency.
The neutral professors were split 1:1.
“Hm. So, the vote on expulsion is tied at 4:4.”
The head of the Assassination Department, Sharman, stroked his thick double chin and announced the conclusion.
“I will now deliver the final verdict for Joaquin Hilavan. The cadet has been found to have orchestrated illegal group activities and a proxy assassination, thereby undermining the core values of the Assassination Department. Therefore, the cadet is hereby sentenced under Disciplinary Action No. 9.”
Disciplinary Action No. 9.
The heaviest penalty short of execution and expulsion.
“Cadet Joaquin Hilavan will receive 2.9 demerit points, a fine of 500,000 Hika, repetition of the current academic year, full liability for the proxy assassination, and 400 hours of community service within the academy.”
Damn, that was severe.
The worst part was the 500,000 Hika ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) fine.
For a cadet, that was a wallet-destroying amount.
“An assassin is merely a tool. And the Assassination Department is a workshop that forges tools. Cadet Joaquin, if you have come to this department to learn, do not overstep your bounds ever again.”
Joaquin remained kneeling on the ground, head bowed.
“I apologize. I will reflect on my actions.”
The professors started whispering amongst themselves.
“That proud bastard is actually bowing his head. Guess we should leave it at that.”
“At least he’s showing some remorse.”
“It was a reckless act, but a No. 9 penalty should be enough.”
Both White Saber and Black Abyss professors agreed to compromise.
After all, Joaquin was still a young cadet.
And he was showing signs of repentance.
But I knew better. It was all an act.
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Joaquin: ‘Fuck yeah, I survived.’ 】
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Joaquin: ‘Stupid old geezers. Bow my head once and they think I’m actually sorry.’ 】
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Joaquin: ‘But 500,000 Hika is fucking insane. What kind of school shakes down cadets like this...? I’m gonna go broke....’ 】
Look at that. His thoughts were rotten to the core.
There’s a saying that mind-readers die young.
It’s actually something I made up.
But it might be true. Watching thoughts like these every day would definitely give me high blood pressure.
“......!”
Joaquin looked away the moment our eyes met. His face was as pale as a corpse.
He was absolutely terrified of me.
From a survival standpoint, that was a good thing.
I had deliberately amplified my use of World Forgery. Some of those images must have been transmitted to Joaquin’s mind.
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Joaquin: ‘I need to avoid that crazy professor for a while. Just wait....’ 】
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Joaquin: ‘I’ll keep my head down for now, then gather my strength and kill him in one shot....’ 】
What a joke.
Avoid me? Says who?
Sorry, but you’re not done with me yet. You’re stuck with me until I decide to let you go.
After all, you attempted an assassination outside of class hours.
“The disciplinary hearing is adjourned.”
Afterward, I headed to the Disciplinary Bureau to meet with the cadets who had been involved in the proxy assassination.
Those bastards had already been thoroughly beaten down by the guards.
“We’re so sorry, Professor.”
“We apologize....”
They bowed their heads deeply.
Pathetic bastards.
In the Assassination Department, power is the only right a person has.
And these guys had no power.
They’d been living miserably, only to get caught up in this mess.
‘Not that it’s any of my concern....’
I didn’t feel any sympathy. I was too busy trying to survive myself.
But, I did intend to strip Joaquin of some of his power while also giving these cadets a tiny chance for revenge.
‘Joaquin’s lackeys are being held separately, huh.’
Which meant that the ones here were the genuine victims.
I stood in front of them.
“Attention.”
All eyes turned to me.
Beaten-down, lifeless eyes.
“You ten attempted to assassinate me under Joaquin’s orders. And now, Joaquin has received the No. 9 disciplinary penalty as the mastermind. Meanwhile, you will only receive minor disciplinary actions.”
Their faces darkened.
Powerlessness. Defeat. Fear. It was all mixed in there.
At the very back, Forte Asimov wore the same expression.
They all thought I was going to reprimand them.
But I wasn’t.
“However, at the time of the assassination attempt, I was in such a chaotic state that I can’t clearly remember the weapons that were used against me.”
The cadets lifted their heads at that.
A strange expression on their faces, as if to ask, ‘What is he talking about?’
“If the assassination attempt happened outside of class hours, all weapons used in the attempt should be confiscated... But unfortunately, I can’t remember what ‘weapons’ were used against me due to the confusion at the time.”
One by one, some of them started to understand.
But some still seemed lost.
“You all need to confess what weapons were used in the assassination attempt. And Joaquin will bear full financial responsibility for those weapons. That’s how Disciplinary Action No. 9 works.”
“......!”
“......!!”
The realization finally dawned on them.
They understood my true intent.
If Joaquin ordered a proxy assassination, he’d also have to bear the costs.
But some of them were still hesitating. Such slow-witted fools. I decided to spoon-feed it to them a bit more.
“You all broke through a magically protected vehicle and attempted to assassinate me. I am a professor, a full-fledged assassin, but I genuinely felt threatened by your assassination attempt.
Therefore, the weapons used in such a serious attempt couldn’t have been ‘cheap,’ could they?”
Now, let’s nudge the most quick-witted one.
“What about you, Forte Asimov?”
All eyes were now on Forte.
His mouth and eyes widened as he finally understood.
“A-Ah, yes! T-That’s right! To carry out the assassination, I used the most expensive rifle I own, a TTI-13 sniper rifle...!?”
He stopped mid-sentence.
So, I checked the script.
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Forte: ‘...Wait a second. If my equipment isn’t being confiscated and Joaquin is the one paying for it anyway... Then there’s no reason for me to only report one weapon, right?’ 】
Exactly. That’s it! He finally got it!
“...Oh, and also. I borrowed 12 shurikens and 2 daggers from my classmate Hwaru, and 8 alchemy potions from Dominic. I used all of them!”
Wow. That’s insane.
He borrowed that much?
“So, you’re saying you used that many items in the assassination attempt?”
“Yes...!”
“In that case, they will have to be confiscated.”
Confiscated from Joaquin, that is!
Exclamation points popped up over the cadets’ heads.
They finally realized what this charade was really about.
“Oh, um! Professor! I-I’m sorry...!”
“What? You. What about you?”
“I-I also borrowed a [Magic]-grade longsword from my older brother for the assassination!”
“What a wicked child. Unfortunately, it must also be confiscated.”
“Oh, Professor, me too...!”
Once the floodgates opened, confessions started pouring in.
“M-My family has this heirloom! It’s a set of explosive shurikens! I used them in the assassination attempt. For some reason, they didn’t explode, but still...!”
“I’m so sorry! I set up a magic trap to assassinate you, Professor, but I don’t remember where I placed it! It might have already deactivated and disappeared...!”
“Uh, I drank 32 potions during the assassination attempt, but... there’s no way to prove it after drinking them...!”
Good. Good.
Actually, no!
That’s not good enough.
Anyone use a gold bar to try and assassinate me?
Any space station lasers aimed at my head?
“Oh, ah! I used a [Legendary] consumable item, but I already used it up, so there’s no way to prove...!”
“That’s excessive.”
“Oh, sorry....”
But going overboard was no good. Anything too ridiculous would get filtered out by the Disciplinary Department anyway.
Fortunately, the guards were on my side.
They were grinning from ear to ear, clearly enjoying this spectacle of seeing one cadet get totally wrecked.
“Guard.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Stop grinning like an idiot and start writing down the assassination tools. We need to submit an invoice. And don’t forget to keep it anonymous.”
“Got it. Absolutely. I’ll handle it without any problems.”
“How long will the confiscation process take?”
“Not long at all. A day at most. The faculty has already agreed to cooperate.”
That was quicker than expected.
They’d have to appraise the equipment, process it through the department office, and initiate the confiscation procedures, yet they said it’d only take a day.
Rough estimation—it was already a minimum of several tens of thousands of Hika.
At least.
I looked around at the cadets.
The miserable, defeated expressions from before were completely gone.
“You lot. From now on, don’t attempt such terrifying assassinations. Understood?”
“Yes! Understood!”
“We’re so sorry! We won’t do it again...!”
Ah, this was the best part.
The joy of watching the villagers gang up to stone the local criminal.
Even these cadets, who had been humiliated, were now laughing and smiling, united in their common enemy—Joaquin.
Not a threat anymore.
After all, Joaquin had lost most of his power and would be forced to lay low for a while.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
I rose from my seat.
I was exhausted and needed some rest.
“Take care, Professor!”
“Goodbye, Professor!”
On the way out, I noticed Forte staring at me.
When our eyes met, he quickly looked away.
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Forte: ‘Professor Dante... went this far to help us...? Just who are you...?’ 】
Forte was on the verge of tears.
In reality, I had just been lining my own pockets.
But for some reason, he was looking at me like I was some kind of righteous hero.
And his delusion didn’t end there.
【 Moonshadow Institute 1st-Year Forte: ‘In the end, I couldn’t even sense Professor Dante approaching me... To think the gap in power was that enormous...’ 】
In truth, he was probably stronger than me.
But if he was going to misunderstand like that, it worked in my favor.
‘Oh, now that I think of it.’
While sifting through some documents in my office, I came across something interesting.
That kid was from the Asimov family, wasn’t he?
‘If he’s from the Asimov family...’
One of the most prestigious sniper families in the White Saber faction.
They were the ones who assassinated a royal family member from an enemy nation during the Second Assassination War.
So, that kid must be the son of Saimo Asimov.
But for someone from that bloodline, his skills were garbage.
His grades were terrible. His eyesight, magic, and supernatural abilities were all abysmal.
That’s why he was a repeat student, despite wearing the Moonshadow Institute badge.
That’s also why he ended up being coerced into a proxy assassination by a fellow Moonshadow cadet.
‘...There’s no reason to get further involved.’
I had no reason to care about other people’s circumstances.
However, after going through this incident and carefully analyzing the 【Script】, I realized something.
It was Kendreik who pushed Joaquin into action.
Kendreik had manipulated Joaquin to assassinate me.
“...Guess I’ll have to teach him a lesson sooner or later.”
The next day.
▶ Confiscation Charges for Joaquin Hilavan’s Assassination Equipment
— 464,120 Ħ
The assassination funds were deposited.
And along with that, I received this:
┃ Mission Accomplished: [Prevented Proxy Assassination]
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 5
< Current Star Fragments: 69 >
I was quite satisfied.